Things were comparatively quieter at some times than at others over the course of 2022, but there was usually something Hollows-related to do. Simon Spanton, my editor at AR, wanted further edits and rewirtes – all of which, I should add, the book’s a lot better for!
Meanwhile Caroline Lambe, Angry Robot’s Lead Publicist, did an incredible job of getting the advance word of The Hollows out there, and arranging interviews and guest blogs. (By far the trickiest of those was a piece called Don’t Kill The Dog! on animal cruelty in horror, which proved a nightmare to write until I threw it away and started again. Second time around, it came out fine – or at least I think it did. Read it and see for yourself.)
The experience brought home how important a role the publicity team plays in ensuring a book succeeds – or will hopefully succeed, anyway. Some books come out of nowhere, some sink without trace; some generate a far bigger buzz than ever expected, and some fail to ignite any interest despite the PR team doing everything ‘right.‘ As with everything else involved in writing, it's something of a gamble.
From the first, there was a buzz. Advance reader copies on Netgalley garnered a huge number of advance reviews, overwhelmingly positive, even before publication day. The good reviews have continued (of course, not everyone likes it, but most readers seem to) and The Hollows has sold very well, especially in the US; at the time of writing, it’s on track to earn out its advance.
A couple of years ago, I had no agent and no prospect of a novel coming into print. Everything is different now. I’ve continued to write, and hope to have some news about future releases before much longer.
In the meantime, I am massively grateful to everyone who made The Hollows happen.
Anne C. Perry, my agent then.
Meg Davis, my agent now.
Simon Spanton, my editor at Angry Robot.
Caroline Lambe and the rest of Angry Robot’s PR team.
And the many reviewers and bloggers who enjoyed it and spread the word: John Mauro at Grimdark Magazine, Lezlie Smith at the Nerdy Narrative, Tammy at Books, Bones and Buffy, Laura McMenemy at Terror Tree, Yvonne at The Coy Caterpillar, Sam Tyler at SFBook Reviews, Tony Jones at Horror DNA, Matthew Cavanaugh (the mighty Womble!) at Runalong The Shelves, Lynn at Lynn’s Book Blog, Alex at Spells and Spaceships, Elloise Hopkins at the British Fantasy Society, Eric Primm at Strange Horizons, David Niall Wilson, Andrew Wallace at Life in Sci-Fi, Liz Robinson at LoveReading, Dave at Espresso Coco, Lori at She Treads Softly, Paul Holmes at The Eloquent Page, Kam at Kam Reads and Recs, Alexis M. Collazzo at Neon Splatter, David Royce at Horror Reads, Tina at Sound and Fury Book Reviews and Lisa Tuttle at the Guardian.
My deep thanks to you all.
Best,
Daniel. :)
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